Snow Blower: A Drink to Drift Into

Regardless of the history or origin, punches of all kinds are an expected beverage at many of today's social gatherings. Whether you're an aspiring bartender or just someone who wants to be a good host (and the life of the party), you need to pack at least a few punches in your repertoire of drinks.

Pass a bit of peaceful holiday time with this warming recipe:

Snow Blower

6 oz. cranberry-apple juice drink

1 tsp. lemon juice

Pinch cloves or nutmeg

1 oz. rum, optional

Lemon slice, garnish

Heat cranberry-apple drink, lemon juice, and cloves or nutmeg in a small saucepan. Pour into mug and stir in rum, if desired. Garnish with a lemon slice, and you're all set to cozy up next to a warm fire — oh, so simple and soothing.

Makes 1 serving.

Punch may have come from the word puncheon, a cast made to hold liquids, such as beer. The word may also have come from the Hindi word pantsh, which means five. What does five have to do with anything? British expatriates in India in the seventeenth century made a beverage consisting of five ingredients: tea, water, sugar, lemon juice, and a fermented sap called arrack.